Australian Greenpeace activist charged with piracy over Arctic protest

Tasmanian Colin Russell faces up to 15 years in a Russian jail for 'imaginary offence' as family says, 'We just need him home'

Australian Colin Russell is among 30 Greenpeace activists the Russian government has charged with piracy after the boarding of an oil rig in the Arctic Sea last month. Photograph: Paul Hilton Paul Hilton/Paul Hilton

An Australian activist is among 30 Greenpeace crew to be charged with piracy by the Russian government after a direct action in the Pechora Sea last month.

Colin Russell, a radio operator on Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise ship, faces a maximum 15 years in jail for taking part in the action, which Greenpeace maintains was peaceful and occurred in international waters.

Russell's wife, Christine, issued a short statement to the press on behalf of herself and daughter.

"Madeliene and I are extremely concerned about the charges handed down today," she said from Tasmania where the family live. "We're really missing Colin and we just need him home."

On Wednesday the first 15 crew members were charged with piracy, with all 30, including Russell, charged with the offence by Thursday. All crew members are being held in cells in Murmansk, north-west Russia.

Greenpeace's executive director, Kumi Naidoo, said the group had been charged with an "imaginary offence" for a crime that did not happen.

The Russian president, Vladmir Putin, said last month he believed the activists were not pirates but had "violated the norms of international law".

Russian security forces stormed the Arctic Sunrise on 19 September after two crew members scaled the Prirazlomnaya platform, owned by Russian energy firm Gazprom, which is drilling for oil in the Pechora Sea. The crew were held under armed guard as the Arctic Sunrise was towed by the Russian coastguard back to Murmansk.